Top Experiences in the United States

Also known as the "Queer Smithsonian," the GLBT History Museum is the first stand-alone museum to celebrate and document the evolution of the modern queer experience. Exhibits cover 100 years of San Francisco's gay history, with subjects like the  assassination of Supervisor Harvey Milk, SF's queer Asian Pacific Islander community, and The Daughters of Bilitis, a 1950s lesbian social club. Tickets are $5, and the first Wed of every month is free.

Balboa Park, a green space set aside in 1835 and site of several international expositions, covers 1,200 acres (490 ha) with gardens, walking space, green belts, museums, theaters and, most of all, the San Diego Zoo. It is named after the Spanish explorer credited with being the first European to see the Pacific Ocean although a considerable distance south in Panama. Downtown, Parkers Hill, North Park and Golden Hill are old neighborhoods around the park. Factoid: The Beatles and the Rolling Stones both played venues in the park.

Founded in 1907 and built on a steep hill overlooking Elliot Bay, Pike Place Market is one of the oldest continuously operating public farmers' markets in the United States with over 250 local restaurants and shops featuring produce stalls, a fish market, craft stands, street performers and the flagship Starbucks.